Round 4

Well, I did it...  I finished all four rounds of the first two medications, called A/C for short.  Now I'm on track to continue with treatment, starting a new medication (Taxol) next Friday the 31st.  I will most likely be getting Taxol once a week for the 12-week duration, but there is a chance that I may be getting a larger dose once every two weeks - it depends on the "latest research" that will be coming out at a conference next week.

Last Tuesday, we went to see a breast surgeon, and she happily reported that my axillary lymph nodes were much smaller, and barely palpable.  The size of the tumor in the breast, however, was relatively the same, but it had changed in consistency.  She felt very confident that the chemotherapy was working well - that's all I needed to hear to breathe just a little bit easier.  Two days later, we went back to see my oncologist, and she also felt the same changes that the surgeon had.  She gave me a full dose of chemo, and said that I'll be starting on the next set of meds in two weeks, continuing this treatment before we move to surgery in the fall.

This last round was a bit tougher than the last two, leaving me in bed for a couple of days (hence, the reason for the tardiness on this update).  But, I am slowly gaining more strength each day now.  One thing I've learned is that no two rounds have been the same for me.  But, feeling the tumor just 5 days after my last treatment, I can definitely feel a change in its size and shape.  It feels smaller to me, but just like the last time I was examined, I'm waiting to hear the professionals tell me that the tumor has indeed gotten smaller.

For now, I am truly relieved that I am able to continue with the chemo, knowing that these medications are working, and making a noticeable difference in the size of the tumors.  Knowing that, I'm choosing to believe that it's also working on the internal mammary nodes, for which there is no surgery to remove the cancer cells that were found there, only radiation therapy after my surgery.  The next set of scans will be taken after I've completed all of the chemo medications, and then we'll know for sure if anything has been left behind.  Until then, please keep praying and visualizing that this disease continues to melt away.